Reporter
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
There are 4043 articles by Bill Dries :
The commission debated Monday whether it should fill the District 33 seat Robinson was expelled from last week by fellow Senators. Part of the argument is whether it amounts to an endorsement of the Senate action.
The push for a state request for federal aid comes as MLGW’s damage estimate from the ice storm has already exceeded the threshold for seeking assistance.
The meeting Monday will also include votes on , environmental justice funding and a transportation consultant, plus other matters linked to the county’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.
The City of Memphis plans to take 60,000 square feet of office space in 100 N. Main when it is redeveloped.
This week’s vote by the state Senate to expel Memphis Democrat Katrina Robinson based on her conviction on federal charges is among the topics on a reporters roundtable on “Behind The Headlines.”
The County Commission Scorecard finds basic ideological differences remain on the 13-member body, as it moves into the home stretch of its four-year term.
Interim city solid waste director Chandell Ryan said the citywide system has now caught up and is ready to move ahead with a new trial system in the area that includes Berclair, Chickasaw Gardens and Binghampton.
The dollar figures are among the campaign finance reports covering the past six months. They also show Republican county mayoral contender Worth Morgan has a balance of $159,540.
The council moved to bind approval for a new Midtown hotel to other parts of the project, calling for retail and residential development before a certificate of occupancy can be issued for the hotel.
Commissioner Brandon Morrison wants the county commission to rehire the lobbying firm it has used in the past and called for a “compromise to purple.” Commissioner Tami Sawyer said the call for bipartisanship “makes absolutely no sense at all.”
The ARPA funding is in place of Tourism Development Zone revenues the city pledged as part of a $10 million contribution toward the $62-million redesign of Tom Lee Park currently underway.
Council members also will meet Marvell Mitchell, the CEO of a local software company, who is the new leader of the city division that keeps track of how much business city government does with minority contractors and businesses.
The headquarters is part of a plan for a fire campus in the area where generations of Memphis firefighters have trained.
After no elections in 2021, Shelby County voters go to the polls three times this year in a series of elections with almost 200 races total and many more candidates in those races. Here is an overview of what’s ahead for voters.
Viking Cruises will begin traversing the Mississippi River in June, joining two other cruise lines docking in Memphis. The city plans a $62 million Waterfront District to meet the demand.
There are now five potential contenders in the Democratic primary for Shelby County mayor with about three weeks to the filing deadline to get on the ballot. Here’s a rundown of the latest filings and a few other campaign notes.
County election commission does its first extensive precinct realignment in two decades.
The Tennessee Valley Authority has to turn over material about the 20-year contract agreement it wants Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division and all the other local utilities in its system to sign.
The City Council Scorecard looks at how the votes lined up on the second rejection in three months for a convenience store with gas pumps at Broad Avenue and Tillman Street.
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton discusses the controversial redrawing of House district lines on The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast.
A Chancery Court lawsuit preserved the stalemate between the Shelby County Election Commission and the Shelby County Commission over a way forward in the controversy.
The first of the year’s elections is the May county primaries, with early voting starting in mid-April.
“The longer it takes, the more expensive it gets,” one Shelby County Commissioner said of the project last week.
In addition to the pay raises, Strickland again called for changes in state laws, particularly around gun crimes, and doubled down on his earlier declaration that the local criminal justice system is a “revolving door.”
Additional candidates have filed petitions for the upcoming May primaries.